This is the part where you back up your argument with something
So… back up your argument. Prove there’s going to be a new Mac Mini. Show that they give a fuck about the product at all.
I did. Cook and Schiller both said something was coming but they weren't ready to talk about it at the time, which is typically how they let people know they still care when they say anything at all. That in itself would be enough for me, but now you have Gurman basically confirming via his sources that something is coming this fall. I can't back up anything beyond that, but what else do you need? It's Apple, we'll see it when they're ready for us to see it, if there isn't a leak first.
Actual proof. Plenty of chips have been released in the FIVE YEARS since the last product. It could have been updated at any time. It wasn’t.
It's been under four years, but regardless that doesn't really matter, does it. The fact is they didn't, but apparently are about to. If you're waiting for a mini, you should be happy about this news and maybe consider not whining about the past as it doesn't make a lick of difference?
So there’s no meaningful reason to believe there’s going to be a new Mac Mini. Got it. Thanks for confirming.
I would disagree with you and agree with you at the same time. Yes, the information is 'rumours' and thus could be wrong... but over the last 4 years, there has typically been total silence with regards to the future of the Mac Mini. The 'rumours' (and some from fairly well-connected people) seem to be speeding up ... not that dissimilar to the speeding up of 'rumours' before the MacBook Pro was released and more or less matched what these same people (who are the messengers of today's 'rumours') were. These 'rumours' (i live the quoting) actually make sense in a world where the new Mac Pro, which has yet to be released, moves upscale. There is a gap that will be left in the lineup for something that is more than what the Mac Mini was and what the Mac Pro will be. The function that the current Mac Mini was originally strategically slotted for is really no more (though some hackers might want to fill it). The switchers (especially developers) have typically settled on MacBook Pro or iMac (not the very low end), the home theatre hacks have been replaced by the Apple TV and iTunes (and soon Apple content), but there is still a fairly solid market within the professional community for small machines that serve specific roles that a laptop does not fill. Apple has hired many of these professionals to act as proxies for their respective communities and has been taking a fairly active role in laying the groundwork to try to fix their neglect with respect to the professional market. As such, IMHO, these 'rumours' make a lot of sense and if there were a place to place bets I would put down money on the fact these 'rumours' are based on reality to a reasonable extent.
But yes, these are still 'rumours' and therefore we could be disappointed... but I doubt it (in my case).
But you two... boy are you guys boring in your arguments... you prove it / you prove it / no you prove it... jeesh! At least be a little entertaining...
The function that the current Mac Mini was originally strategically slotted for is really no more
Do we have stats for that?
The switchers (especially developers) have typically settled on MacBook Pro or iMac (not the very low end)
What about people who don’t want to pay a thousand dollars and/or already have the rest of their hardware ecosystem?
there is still a fairly solid market within the professional community for small machines that serve specific roles that a laptop does not fill
Servers, since the death of the Xserve.
Apple has hired many of these professionals to act as proxies for their respective communities and has been taking a fairly active role in laying the groundwork to try to fix their neglect with respect to the professional market.
So is this going to be a Mac Mini Pro? And is there something that will actually make it “pro” or is it just a way for Apple to raise the price? Customers will be pissed if the only new Mac Mini is one that’s more expensive.
I think Bloomberg is just confused. It doesn't need to be a "Pro" to be more expensive — the mere fact that it'll have modern components justifies a price bump.
"app developers, those running home media centers, and server farm managers" has been most of the Mini's consumers for years, that's nothing new.
My only hope is that somewhere in the UFO is one guy whose only job is to keep updating this new Mini whenever Intel has a new CPU architecture to hawk. He can spend the rest of his time sewing Macbook Pro leather sleeves or whatever.
Pro is just a marketing term to mean the more powerful end of the lineup. I would like to see a 'Mac' with something like the 9900K and maybe an RX580 with RAM in a trashcan or equivalent.
When you actually see the new mini, just remember Apple never said it was going to be a Mac Mini Pro. That’s just something users made up, based on a rumor that had no real meat.
Don't be surprised to see an 8GB/SSD/28W CPU mini that’s starts at $799, instead of a 4GB/HDD/15W CPU mini that starts at $499. RAM will be DDR4, socketed and upgradable to 32GB.
There will be plenty of ports: two USB-C Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet, a headphone jack and possibly an SDXC slot. Maybe USB-PD external power.
The overall platform will have the 28W quads from the 2018 MBP, likely with a dual-core for the entry level model. I don’t think there will be a 45W CPU/dGPU mini; I just don’t think there’s enough volume to support a second platform (based on the 15” MBP).
Thunderbolt 3 has PD power as a part of the spec. I'm also betting it has no USB 3 ports, no SD card slot, no headphone jack, no display port and no HDMI. It will not be geared towards consumers, in fact, they will discourage it in every way. This will be a box for developers, server farms and pros who are willing to pay for the privilege of having an upgradable machine, if that's what it turns out to be.
Yes, possibly power delivery via the USB-C connector (which will be a TB3 port like MBP, not just a USB 3.1 port like the rMB). If so then no internal power supply. No reason to delete all the older ports; they’re still on iMac. There’s no space restrictions like laptops. Not sure where you’re getting the idea the new mini will be upgradable, though I do expect socketed RAM.
There’s also no reason to discourage consumer use, in fact the rumor mentions their intended application as a home media center. If you read the source, it’s clear that it’s storage options and CPUs that are making them more expensive. So no HDD or Fusion drives, and no dual core CPUs (except for the least expensive entry level SKU, most likely).
That’s my interpretation, anyway.
All of the new MacBook Pros are powered over Thunderbolt/USB-C. That power can come from the supplied adapter or it can come from ANYTHING that can supply that much power, such as, a monitor, hub or hard drive with it's own power supply. Up to 100W.
The only reason I comment on PD power is because you said, "Maybe USB-PD external power." My point is that PD power is part of the Thunderbolt spec and will probably be available by default.
There is a reason to delete older ports, to move people forward, just as the original iMac pulled the entire PC in to the era of USB.
"Not sure where you’re getting the idea the new mini will be upgradable, though I do expect socketed RAM." Contradiction.
"There’s also no reason to discourage consumer use, in fact the rumor mentions their intended application as a home media centre " AppleTV took that home media centre role and the Mac Mini decreases Apple's profits because it doesn't not include a monitor sale, as it does with the iMac. A headless Mac is less profitable.
1) My comment wasn’t intended to speculate whether USB-PD would “be available”, but I can see why you misunderstood my comment about “external power”. I refer to the manner in which the mini itself will be powered: externally powered via USB-PD (like the notebooks) or continuing to have its own internal power supply within the enclosure. In either case I don’t expect the mini will be able to supply much USB-PD power to other devices.
2) Your prediction that older ports will be removed from the mini would carry more weight if Apple hadn’t continued to use them in all the desktop updates for years after switching to USB-C only for the rMB/MBP notebooks in 2015/2016. They haven’t been dropped from iMac, and I don’t expect them to be dropped from Mac mini, or next year’s Mac Pro for that matter. Laptops have space constraints that desktops don’t.
3) There’s no contradiction in my not knowing why you think the mini might be upgradable versus my expectation RAM will be socketed. All of Apple’s desktops now offer socketed RAM, since Apple redesigned the logic board of the iMac 1080p last year to switch from soldered LPDDR3 to socketed DDR4 (which maxes out at 32GB). So I expect the same in the mini this year. The 2014 mini and the entry level iMac and 13” MBP have shared engineering design resources between one another previously and I think that’s likely to continue with the new mini.
4. AppleTV is the least profitable way to address the home media center role, and the article specifically mentions that segment as a target of the new mini (but which you left out when contending the mini will be discouraged for consumers and instead target developer and server farms and “pro” markets). A headless Mac can be plenty profitable, depending on where Apple prices it. Apple is also returning to the external monitor market so the mini creates another opportunity for additional profits, whether sold to the home/consumer segment or “pro”.
So is this going to be a Mac Mini Pro? And is there something that will actually make it “pro” or is it just a way for Apple to raise the price? Customers will be pissed if the only new Mac Mini is one that’s more expensive.
I think Bloomberg is just confused. It doesn't need to be a "Pro" to be more expensive — the mere fact that it'll have modern components justifies a price bump.
"app developers, those running home media centers, and server farm managers" has been most of the Mini's consumers for years, that's nothing new.
My only hope is that somewhere in the UFO is one guy whose only job is to keep updating this new Mini whenever Intel has a new CPU architecture to hawk. He can spend the rest of his time sewing Macbook Pro leather sleeves or whatever.
Pro is just a marketing term to mean the more powerful end of the lineup. I would like to see a 'Mac' with something like the 9900K and maybe an RX580 with RAM in a trashcan or equivalent.
When you actually see the new mini, just remember Apple never said it was going to be a Mac Mini Pro. That’s just something users made up, based on a rumor that had no real meat.
Don't be surprised to see an 8GB/SSD/28W CPU mini that’s starts at $799, instead of a 4GB/HDD/15W CPU mini that starts at $499. RAM will be DDR4, socketed and upgradable to 32GB.
There will be plenty of ports: two USB-C Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet, a headphone jack and possibly an SDXC slot. Maybe USB-PD external power.
The overall platform will have the 28W quads from the 2018 MBP, likely with a dual-core for the entry level model. I don’t think there will be a 45W CPU/dGPU mini; I just don’t think there’s enough volume to support a second platform (based on the 15” MBP).
Thunderbolt 3 has PD power as a part of the spec. I'm also betting it has no USB 3 ports, no SD card slot, no headphone jack, no display port and no HDMI. It will not be geared towards consumers, in fact, they will discourage it in every way. This will be a box for developers, server farms and pros who are willing to pay for the privilege of having an upgradable machine, if that's what it turns out to be.
Yes, possibly power delivery via the USB-C connector (which will be a TB3 port like MBP, not just a USB 3.1 port like the rMB). If so then no internal power supply. No reason to delete all the older ports; they’re still on iMac. There’s no space restrictions like laptops. Not sure where you’re getting the idea the new mini will be upgradable, though I do expect socketed RAM.
There’s also no reason to discourage consumer use, in fact the rumor mentions their intended application as a home media center. If you read the source, it’s clear that it’s storage options and CPUs that are making them more expensive. So no HDD or Fusion drives, and no dual core CPUs (except for the least expensive entry level SKU, most likely).
That’s my interpretation, anyway.
All of the new MacBook Pros are powered over Thunderbolt/USB-C. That power can come from the supplied adapter or it can come from ANYTHING that can supply that much power, such as, a monitor, hub or hard drive with it's own power supply. Up to 100W.
The only reason I comment on PD power is because you said, "Maybe USB-PD external power." My point is that PD power is part of the Thunderbolt spec and will probably be available by default.
There is a reason to delete older ports, to move people forward, just as the original iMac pulled the entire PC in to the era of USB.
"Not sure where you’re getting the idea the new mini will be upgradable, though I do expect socketed RAM." Contradiction.
"There’s also no reason to discourage consumer use, in fact the rumor mentions their intended application as a home media centre " AppleTV took that home media centre role and the Mac Mini decreases Apple's profits because it doesn't not include a monitor sale, as it does with the iMac. A headless Mac is less profitable.
1) My comment wasn’t intended to speculate whether USB-PD would “be available”, but I can see why you misunderstood my comment about “external power”. I refer to the manner in which the mini itself will be powered: externally powered via USB-PD (like the notebooks) or continuing to have its own internal power supply within the enclosure. In either case I don’t expect the mini will be able to supply much USB-PD power to other devices.
2) Your prediction that older ports will be removed from the mini would carry more weight if Apple hadn’t continued to use them in all the desktop updates for years after switching to USB-C only for the rMB/MBP notebooks in 2015/2016. They haven’t been dropped from iMac, and I don’t expect them to be dropped from Mac mini, or next year’s Mac Pro for that matter. Laptops have space constraints that desktops don’t.
3) There’s no contradiction in my not knowing why you think the mini might be upgradable versus my expectation RAM will be socketed. All of Apple’s desktops now offer socketed RAM, since Apple redesigned the logic board of the iMac 1080p last year to switch from soldered LPDDR3 to socketed DDR4 (which maxes out at 32GB). So I expect the same in the mini this year. The 2014 mini and the entry level iMac and 13” MBP have shared engineering design resources between one another previously and I think that’s likely to continue with the new mini.
4. AppleTV is the least profitable way to address the home media center role, and the article specifically mentions that segment as a target of the new mini (but which you left out when contending the mini will be discouraged for consumers and instead target developer and server farms and “pro” markets). A headless Mac can be plenty profitable, depending on where Apple prices it. Apple is also returning to the external monitor market so the mini creates another opportunity for additional profits, whether sold to the home/consumer segment or “pro”.
3) LPDDR3/4 advantage is energy conservation. When active they both consume fairly close to the same amount, when inactive more or less the same... the savings come in that LPDDR3/4 can switch active/inactive much more responsively -- while the DDR4 ram will stay active longer and since the OS constantly does stuff in the background it is much less likely to switch to inactive to save energy (and thus battery). I also believe LPDDR3 is single channel while DDR4 is dual channel (vague - could be wrong) so you will have higher performance/bandwidth with DDR4. DDR4 makes more sense for a desktop. LPDDR3 maxes out at 16GB, DDR4 can max out at about 64GB typically right now 4 slots of 16GB.
4. I disagree strongly there - you are only taking into account hardware sales. Someone buying a Mac Mini for a entertainment system will typically buy it, install something like Plex and then buy content from multiple sources. Apple TV produces a much higher percentage of service revenue per device. Therefore it makes no sense to encourage Mac Minis to be used as home entertainment centres.
The function that the current Mac Mini was originally strategically slotted for is really no more
Do we have stats for that?
The switchers (especially developers) have typically settled on MacBook Pro or iMac (not the very low end)
What about people who don’t want to pay a thousand dollars and/or already have the rest of their hardware ecosystem?
there is still a fairly solid market within the professional community for small machines that serve specific roles that a laptop does not fill
Servers, since the death of the Xserve.
Apple has hired many of these professionals to act as proxies for their respective communities and has been taking a fairly active role in laying the groundwork to try to fix their neglect with respect to the professional market.
I’d love that to be true. If only there was…
Stats are not widely available but from personal observation (and being a switcher/developer) myself. I have known many switchers but of all the people that I know that are not technical/developers -- not one went with the Mac Mini as their computer. They walked into the store and walked out with iMacs and laptops... The people that bought Mac Minis - were all technical/development and many were not using it as their "switcher machine". I bought 3 2009 Mac Minis -- all for specific purposes -- but that was after a laptop in 2007 (the first Mac I owned), and a Mac Pro in 2008 (never an iMac - but more laptops after that). I am not sure if I will go with a Mac Pro (modular) or 'pro' Mac Mini... I am going through a complete refresh this year / early next - including 3 computers - one being a fairly powerful Linux machine, either a Mac Mini / Mac Pro and one of the MacBook Pros.
Yes, the Mac Mini has a relatively high usage as servers or specific tasks (in isolation) - more technical.
So there’s no meaningful reason to believe there’s going to be a new Mac Mini. Got it. Thanks for confirming.
It depends on whether you believe the CEO or not. When asked about the mini, Cook said that it’s not yet time to share details, but Apple does plan for the Mac mini to be an important part of the product line in the future.
If you wish, you may choose to spin that as, “we will never again update the Mac mini, and eventually we’re going to kill it, but in the meantime we’re going to deliberately string you along and screw with your heads by telling you we see it as an important part of the product line in the future”. But that would be the exact opposite of the sentiment he expressed.
Rather, it seems he was saying something more like, “we’re not yet ready to share details, but we do have plans for the Mac mini in the future, since it’s an important part of the product line.” Wasn’t he?
Since it's also reported to be a bit larger, how great would it be if it had similar specs to the also pretty small Chuwi HiGame. That Kaby Lake G package with "Vega" and HBM2 combined with an Intel CPU.
It's not going to be a gaming rig like that, but the AMD GPU does accelerate Apples pro apps.
I missed that the mini has been rumored to be larger, but I’ve seen other posts to this effect. Do you remember the source of this “larger mini” rumor?
So there’s no meaningful reason to believe there’s going to be a new Mac Mini. Got it. Thanks for confirming.
It depends on whether you believe the CEO or not. When asked about the mini, Cook said that it’s not yet time to share details, but Apple does plan for the Mac mini to be an important part of the product line in the future.
If you wish, you may choose to spin that as, “we will never again update the Mac mini, and eventually we’re going to kill it, but in the meantime we’re going to deliberately string you along and screw with your heads by telling you we see it as an important part of the product line in the future”. But that would be the exact opposite of the sentiment he expressed.
Rather, it seems he was saying something more like, “we’re not yet ready to share details, but we do have plans for the Mac mini in the future, since it’s an important part of the product line.” Wasn’t he?
That's exactly how I read it, and Schiller seemed to confirm this very shortly after, which indicates to me it was a concerted effort on their part to let people know in the way they sometimes do, that they hadn't forgotten about it and indeed were working on something. Gurman's article now seems to confirm this is happening in the near future. This is why I don't usually reply to Tallest Skil (among other things).
I'll make an educated guess, that can be seen also as wild speculation.
The rumors born from the interpretation of new data and new hints using old glasses.
Hints to the fact that is a 'Pro' Mini should be interpreted in the framework of the ongoing work in Apple to satisfy Pro customers.
We read of a number of initiatives, including a special group work on the subject; we got the iMac Pro, we got the new MBP 15" with six core
and 32 Gb of Ram, and we know about a project to produce a new line of Mac Pro. We got eGPU also, and Thunderbolt 3, that allows for "external expandibility",
without performance loss (excluding RAM).
So if it is 'Pro', it is something different, that is included in this strategy.
Si, what if this not about a new 'Mac Mini', but something that have a similar form factor, but a different nature ?
The following is wild speculation: How can you redefine modularity and expandibility, at the system level, using the new available technologies ?
Imagine a series of modules, having a stackable form factor, and connected thru thunderbolt 3.
CPU/RAM/system disk/integrated GPU module, eGPU module, .m2 RAID module, PCI-e module, even professional specific modules, like audio interfaces.
Third party modules; giving the current trend, i would imagine specific market modules left to third party, like audio.
A module would just be a box with the right form factor; i would be surprised of more, like interconnections.
bkkcanuck said: ... The 'rumours' (and some from fairly well-connected people) seem to be speeding up ... not that dissimilar to the speeding up of 'rumours' before the MacBook Pro was released and more or less matched what these same people (who are the messengers of today's 'rumours') were. These 'rumours' (i live the quoting) actually make sense in a world where the new Mac Pro, which has yet to be released, moves upscale. There is a gap that will be left in the lineup for something that is more than what the Mac Mini was and what the Mac Pro will be. ...
Yeah, and (thank heavens!) there are some signs that Apple is finally making *some* corrections and listening to people. The fanboys were wrong about new MacBook Pros, and went with the line that there was nothing to be gained with new Intel processors. They were wrong about the 32GB of RAM. The fanboys weren't on top of Apple meeting with the press and pros about the iMac Pro and Mac Pro. Going back, the fanboys were even wrong about the iPhone SE.
I'm hoping that Apple is listening now, and will start making some corrections and product-line improvements. While this might not be the fabled xMac (it will hopefully be better, IMO), it seems like a possible modern variant of that... and absolutely! there is a massive hole in Apple's product lineup that needs to be filled.
I don't think that means they'll risk their egos too much and do something dramatic like fix the direction they've taken with the laptop keyboards or put 3.5mm jacks back on the iPhones, but I think something like this is within the realm of possibility.
PickUrPoison said: 2) Your prediction that older ports will be removed from the mini would carry more weight if Apple hadn’t continued to use them in all the desktop updates for years after switching to USB-C only for the rMB/MBP notebooks in 2015/2016. They haven’t been dropped from iMac, and I don’t expect them to be dropped from Mac mini, or next year’s Mac Pro for that matter. Laptops have space constraints that desktops don’t.
I'm wondering if that wasn't just to head off the massive criticism and 'test the waters' a bit on the laptops first. Since they could include them on the laptops, especially the 15", I'm guessing there is more than space constraints involved. Like the headphone jack, they will probably start removing them from any product they think they can get away with. It is an ideological issue, not a practical or even necessarily marketing one. (As John Siracusa said on a recent ATP episode... what person, given the choice between a MBP with only USB-C, or one with USB-C and USB-A wouldn't pick the latter?)
PickUrPoison said: Rather, it seems he was saying something more like, “we’re not yet ready to share details, but we do have plans for the Mac mini in the future, since it’s an important part of the product line.” Wasn’t he?
I think the actual quote just said Apple plans for it to be an important part of the product line... that doesn't necessarily mean they will update it or when, as they've been selling it for years as-is. But, I guess, yes, I'd assume they would then update it... but Tim didn't say that. But, I think a lot of the pessimism at the time, was that it almost seemed like the Mac wasn't an important part of Apple's future, let alone the mini.
Maurizio said: Si, what if this not about a new 'Mac Mini', but something that have a similar form factor, but a different nature ?
I suppose it would be too wishful-thinking for the idea of putting a quad or 6 core CPU and more 'prosumer' parts into the Mac Pro cylinder design. (probably not as efficient for that server-room application of them, but one can dream)
I'm wondering if that wasn't just to head off the massive criticism and 'test the waters' a bit on the laptops first. Since they could include them on the laptops, especially the 15", I'm guessing there is more than space constraints involved. Like the headphone jack, they will probably start removing them from any product they think they can get away with. It is an ideological issue, not a practical or even necessarily marketing one. (As John Siracusa said on a recent ATP episode... what person, given the choice between a MBP with only USB-C, or one with USB-C and USB-A wouldn't pick the latter?)
If confronted with a laptop with 4 USB-C / Thunderbolt ports and one that has a mix of one (in most cases this is the max competitors have) or two USB-C ports (half the external bandwidth) with some USB-A ports... I would always choose the future, and always chose the first one. I can always order quality cables (USB-C to Micro USB, etc) to replace current cables and I have no problem with a dongle for a legacy hard-wired device - because it is on borrowed time... Future proofing rather than looking back.
cgWerks said: (As John Siracusa said on a recent ATP episode... what person, given the choice between a MBP with only USB-C, or one with USB-C and USB-A wouldn't pick the latter?)
Me, for one.
cgWerks said: I think the actual quote just said Apple plans for it to be an important part of the product line... that doesn't necessarily mean they will update it or when, as they've been selling it for years as-is. But, I guess, yes, I'd assume they would then update it... but Tim didn't say that. But, I think a lot of the pessimism at the time, was that it almost seemed like the Mac wasn't an important part of Apple's future, let alone the mini.
I already posted the screen shot, but here is the text again:
I'm glad you love Mac mini. We love it too. Our customers have found so many creative and interesting uses for Mac mini. While it is not time to share any details, we do plan for Mac mini to be an important part of our product line going forward.
Again, why would a CEO say "not time to share any details" and "we do plan for" and "going forward" and NOT mean that they're going to release a new one? He wouldn't have bothered to respond to the email at all if it were going to be discontinued, let alone use future-looking statements. It boggles the mind that there's any doubt here as to what Cook means.
Comments
But why should we believe that, given history?
But yes, these are still 'rumours' and therefore we could be disappointed... but I doubt it (in my case).
But you two... boy are you guys boring in your arguments... you prove it / you prove it / no you prove it... jeesh! At least be a little entertaining...
What about people who don’t want to pay a thousand dollars and/or already have the rest of their hardware ecosystem?
Servers, since the death of the Xserve.
I’d love that to be true. If only there was…
2) Your prediction that older ports will be removed from the mini would carry more weight if Apple hadn’t continued to use them in all the desktop updates for years after switching to USB-C only for the rMB/MBP notebooks in 2015/2016. They haven’t been dropped from iMac, and I don’t expect them to be dropped from Mac mini, or next year’s Mac Pro for that matter. Laptops have space constraints that desktops don’t.
3) There’s no contradiction in my not knowing why you think the mini might be upgradable versus my expectation RAM will be socketed. All of Apple’s desktops now offer socketed RAM, since Apple redesigned the logic board of the iMac 1080p last year to switch from soldered LPDDR3 to socketed DDR4 (which maxes out at 32GB). So I expect the same in the mini this year. The 2014 mini and the entry level iMac and 13” MBP have shared engineering design resources between one another previously and I think that’s likely to continue with the new mini.
4. AppleTV is the least profitable way to address the home media center role, and the article specifically mentions that segment as a target of the new mini (but which you left out when contending the mini will be discouraged for consumers and instead target developer and server farms and “pro” markets). A headless Mac can be plenty profitable, depending on where Apple prices it. Apple is also returning to the external monitor market so the mini creates another opportunity for additional profits, whether sold to the home/consumer segment or “pro”.
4. I disagree strongly there - you are only taking into account hardware sales. Someone buying a Mac Mini for a entertainment system will typically buy it, install something like Plex and then buy content from multiple sources. Apple TV produces a much higher percentage of service revenue per device. Therefore it makes no sense to encourage Mac Minis to be used as home entertainment centres.
Yes, the Mac Mini has a relatively high usage as servers or specific tasks (in isolation) - more technical.
If you wish, you may choose to spin that as, “we will never again update the Mac mini, and eventually we’re going to kill it, but in the meantime we’re going to deliberately string you along and screw with your heads by telling you we see it as an important part of the product line in the future”. But that would be the exact opposite of the sentiment he expressed.
Rather, it seems he was saying something more like, “we’re not yet ready to share details, but we do have plans for the Mac mini in the future, since it’s an important part of the product line.” Wasn’t he?
I'm hoping that Apple is listening now, and will start making some corrections and product-line improvements. While this might not be the fabled xMac (it will hopefully be better, IMO), it seems like a possible modern variant of that... and absolutely! there is a massive hole in Apple's product lineup that needs to be filled.
I don't think that means they'll risk their egos too much and do something dramatic like fix the direction they've taken with the laptop keyboards or put 3.5mm jacks back on the iPhones, but I think something like this is within the realm of possibility.
I'm wondering if that wasn't just to head off the massive criticism and 'test the waters' a bit on the laptops first. Since they could include them on the laptops, especially the 15", I'm guessing there is more than space constraints involved. Like the headphone jack, they will probably start removing them from any product they think they can get away with. It is an ideological issue, not a practical or even necessarily marketing one. (As John Siracusa said on a recent ATP episode... what person, given the choice between a MBP with only USB-C, or one with USB-C and USB-A wouldn't pick the latter?)
I think the actual quote just said Apple plans for it to be an important part of the product line... that doesn't necessarily mean they will update it or when, as they've been selling it for years as-is. But, I guess, yes, I'd assume they would then update it... but Tim didn't say that. But, I think a lot of the pessimism at the time, was that it almost seemed like the Mac wasn't an important part of Apple's future, let alone the mini.
I suppose it would be too wishful-thinking for the idea of putting a quad or 6 core CPU and more 'prosumer' parts into the Mac Pro cylinder design.
Again, why would a CEO say "not time to share any details" and "we do plan for" and "going forward" and NOT mean that they're going to release a new one? He wouldn't have bothered to respond to the email at all if it were going to be discontinued, let alone use future-looking statements. It boggles the mind that there's any doubt here as to what Cook means.